Embodiments of the present invention generally relate wide field-of-view, high resolution imaging devices. More specifically, certain embodiments relate to Talbot-illuminated imaging (TII) devices, systems, and methods for focal plane tuning, used for wide field-of-view imaging in areas such as, for example, microscopy and photography.
Wide field-of-view microscopic imaging is highly desired in applications such as digital pathology or high throughput screening. Some examples of digital pathology and high throughput screening applications that may use wide field-of-view imaging are described in Ho, J., Parwani, A. V., Jukic, D. M., Yagi, Y., Anthony, L., and Gilbertson, J. R., “Use of whole slide imaging in surgical pathology quality assurance: design and pilot validation studies,” Human Pathology 37, pp. 322-331 (2006) and Oheim, M., “High-throughput microscopy must re-invent the microscope rather than speed up its functions,” British Journal of Pharmacology 152, 1-4 (2007), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Some recent efforts address the need for wide field-of-view imaging, but present significant technical limitations. Some examples of these efforts can be found in Bishara, W., Su, T. W., Coskun, A. F., and Ozcan, A., “Lensfree on-chip microscopy over a wide field-of-view using pixel super-resolution,” Optics Express 18, pp. 11181-11191 (2010) and Rojo, M. G., Garcia, G. G., Mateos, C. P., Garcia, J. G., and Vicente, M. C., “Critical comparison of 31 commercially available digital slide systems in pathology,” International Journal of Surgical Pathology 14, pp. 285-305 (2006), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Another example is the recent development of wide field-of-view microscopes based on holographic focus grid illumination. Some examples of recently developed microscopes based on holographic focus grid illumination can be found in Wu, J., Cui, X., Zheng, J, Wang, Y. M., Lee, L. M., and Yang, C., “Wide field-of-view microscope based on holographic focus grid illumination,” Optics Letters 35, pp. 2188-2190 (2010) and Wu, J., Lee, L. M., and Yang, C., “Focus grid generation by in-line holography,” Optics Express 18, pp. 14366-14374 (2010), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.